Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

पुष्ट्यर्थमेतद्विज्ञेयं क्षयाहं द्वादशं स्मृतम् । मृतेऽहनि पितुर्यस्तु न कुर्याच्छ्राद्धमादरात्

Transliteration

puṣṭyarthametadvijñeyaṃ kṣayāhaṃ dvādaśaṃ smṛtam | mṛte'hani pituryastu na kuryācchrāddhamādarāt

Translation

Ce śrāddha au ghee doit être compris comme visant la nourriture et le bien-être; on s’en souvient comme du « douzième » rite appelé kṣayāha. Mais celui qui, au jour de la mort de son père, n’accomplit pas le śrāddha avec soin—

Word by Word

• पुष्ट्यर्थम्: for nourishment/prosperity
• पुष्ट्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययभावे प्रयुक्तम्; प्रयोजनार्थे ‘...अर्थम्’; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पुष्टेः अर्थम्)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; निर्देश (this)

• विज्ञेयम्: should be understood/known
• विज्ञेयम्: Vidhana (Injunction/विधान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (तव्य/यत्-भाव), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘ज्ञातव्यम्’ (to be known)

• क्षयाहम्: the ‘kṣayāha’ day (day of waning/decay)
• क्षयाहम्: Pratipadyamāna (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक) + अहन्/अह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (क्षयस्य अहः)

• द्वादशम्: the twelfth
• द्वादशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादशन् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्याविशेषण (ordinal/number)

• स्मृतम्: is stated/remembered (in tradition)
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया-विशेष)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘said/remembered in tradition’

• मृते: when (someone) has died
• मृते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘when (someone) has died’ (locative absolute with अहनि)

• अहनि: on the day
• अहनि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (time)

• पितुः: of the father
• पितुः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विशेषार्थ

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; निषेधेन सह ‘न कुर्यात्’ (should not do)

• श्राद्धम्: śrāddha
• श्राद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• आदरात्: out of respect/with reverence
• आदरात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणे (ablative of cause)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-deity figure explains to Devī the ‘kṣayāha’ rite: a calendar/astral motif showing the ‘twelfth’, ghee vessel prominent, and a solemn vignette of a son performing annual śrāddha for his father.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pitṛ-obligations are central to gṛhastha-dharma; neglecting the father’s death-day śrāddha is treated as a serious lapse in reverent duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is situated in the Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, where such rites are contextualized within the sanctity and merit-field of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Identifies the travel-related, ghee-based śrāddha as puṣṭy-artha and associates it with the ‘twelfth’ rite called kṣayāha; stresses śrāddha on the father’s death-day.